The first car that Porsche’s founder created was an electric vehicle, according to a display at the company’s museum in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, Germany.
The Egger-Lohner electric car C.2 Phaeton type, also known as the P1, was Ferdinand Porsche’s creation.
The 1898-built automobile was discovered recently in an Austrian garage where it had been kept since 1902.
Ferdinand Porsche, a 22-year-old who would found Porsche in 1931, created the P1 for automaker Jacob Lohner.
Ludwig Lohner, the company’s owner, visited the US and returned persuaded that the horse-and-carriage era was coming to an end. As a result, he ordered Ferdinand Porsche to develop an electric drive system.
Ferdinand Porsche created a “octagonal electric motor” that was suspended between shock absorbers in the back of the car and ran on electric batteries.
The car was operated by a 12-speed controller with six forward, two reverse, and four brake gears. This intricate system of gears was used to drive the vehicle.
The P1 could go up to 49 miles on a single charge and drive as fast as 21 mph (34 km/h).
The P1 was eventually entered in the Berlin road race, which was held on September 28, 1899, by the young Mr. Porsche.
Four passengers and a total distance of 24 miles were required of the competitors (including the driver).
The P1 easily defeated the opposition, arriving at the finish line 18 minutes ahead of the next vehicle.
The P1 received another honor for using the least amount of energy, which is almost too wonderful to be true.
The vehicle is on display at the Porsche museum in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, Germany, as a part of an exhibition.
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The beginning of Porsche’s history is electrical
Even as a teenager, Ferdinand Porsche—later the creator of the brand-name company—was captivated by electricity. The 18-year-old installed an electric lighting system in his parents’ home as early as 1893. Porsche joined Vereinigte Elektrizitats-AG Bela Egger in Vienna in the same year. He advanced from mechanic to head of the testing department there after four years. The history of Porsche begins with the electric drive because the first cars he created featured electric motors as well.
The Egger-Lohner C.2 Phaeton was designed by Ferdinand Porsche in 1898. The vehicle had an electric octagonal motor that produced three to five PS and had a top speed of 25 km/h. Porsche began working for the Vienna, UK-based Hofwagenfabrik Ludwig Lohner & Co. in 1899.
He created the electric wheel hub motor there. At the Paris Expo in 1900, the first Lohner-Porsche Electromobile using this breakthrough was displayed. It was capable of a top speed of 37 km/h with 2 x 2.5 PS. In light of the era of mass motorization, Lohner’s justification for an electric-powered vehicle still rings true now as it did back then: the air had been “ruthlessly contaminated by the vast number of petrol engines in use.”
Porsche created the “Semper Vivus,” the world’s first operational hybrid vehicle, in 1900. (Latin for “always alive”). The Lohner-Porsche system, which was advertised as the technology, has uses outside the realm of electric automobiles. Porsche increased the vehicle’s range by employing a combustion engine to power a generator instead of a battery to provide the wheel hub with electrical power. The Lohner-Porsche “Mixte” was introduced a year later when the version was ready for production.
But the Lohner-Porsche also showed why electric mobility has fallen short over time: although producing only small amounts of power, the vehicle weighed close to two tons. Electromobility was laid to rest for a very long period due to a lack of infrastructure and a limited range.
More than a century later, the concept was revived: With the creation of lithium-ion batteries appropriate for use in automobiles and ever-tougher legislative regulations for pollutant and carbon dioxide emissions, the attention shifted back to electric drive systems. Porsche opened up the corporation to electromobility with the Cayenne S Hybrid in 2010. The Panamera S Hybrid was the most fuel-efficient Porsche to date with a fuel consumption of 6.8 l/100 km (NEDC), despite having a power output of 380 PS. It was the first parallel full hybrid in the luxury car class. Porsche tested three entirely electric Boxster E cars in 2011.
The original Porsche automobile?
The outcome was the P1, which made its premiere on the streets of Vienna on June 26, 1898. It was foresight on Porsche’s part to call the automobile the P1, knowing full well that there would be more Porsche vehicles to come. When Porsche’s first automobile made its appearance on the streets of Vienna on June 26, 1898, it was also among the very first cars to be registered in Austria.
For its day and even today, the P1 was a powerful machine. Instead of using Porsche’s innovative wheel-hub motor, the P1 used a drive unit located at the rear. Yes, the original automobile that Porsche developed and produced had its engine in the back! The “octagonal electric motor” invented by Mr. Porsche, so called because of the design of its housing, weighed in at 287 lbs (130 kg) and generated a jolting 3 horsepower (2.2kW).
The P1’s top speed was 21 mph (34 km/h) with just that little power, 1,100 lbs (500 kg) of batteries, and another 1,897 pounds (860 kg) of car to move about (for those keeping track at home, that’s a total vehicle weight of 2,997 lbs/1,359 kg). However, the P1 had a “overboost” feature that drew a full 5hp (3.7kW) out of the engine for tackling steep inclines, just like the contemporary Taycan.
There are still more parallels to be found. The P1 did not have a single gear like most contemporary EVs, such the Taycan. It had a 12-speed controller that provided power to the wheels instead. Two of those 12 speeds were truly backward, four served as brakes, and six were used for forward control. The P1’s maximum range, when not being driven at high speed, was a respectable 50 miles (80 km), which is farther than many gasoline-powered prototypes of the era.
The original 1898 Porsche was an electric vehicle that could travel 2.5 times as far on electricity as the current Panamera S hybrid.
It is therefore humorous to realize that the original Ferdinand Porsche automobile from 1898, which was rediscovered this week, really has a longer range for electric vehicles than the Panamera S hybrid. According to its specifications, the Egger-Lohner C.2 electric car has a 120 amp-hour battery with a range of about 49 miles and a top speed of more than 20 mph. Not bad at all. That is further than a Chevrolet Volt as well.
Initial Hybrid Works
Porsche began work on a new project around the end of the 1890s because the Porsche P1 was only ever a prototype. The Lohner-Porsche Mixed Hybrid is a hybrid car he created this time. The Lohner-Porsche was the first gas-electric hybrid vehicle ever created. It was propelled by two or four electric motors powered by a battery and a gasoline engine. Porsche later added an electric motor to each wheel, turning the original design, which only had two motors, into an early AWD system.
Depending on how many motors were installed, the 1900 Lohner-Porsche had 10 to up to 28 horsepower.
Each motor could produce 2.5 to 3.5 horsepower, with short bursts of seven horsepower. Although ground-breaking, the concept was too expensive for mass manufacturing, therefore Lohner-Werke eventually applied the technique to bigger commercial vehicles like fire engines and double-decker buses. According to rumors, Lohner-Werke produced the burial vehicle for Archduke Franz Ferdinand, whose death in Sarajevo served as the catalyst for the start of World War I.
When did the first Porsche go electric?
On Monday, the first Porsche vehicle was unveiled in Stuttgart. Since 1902, the 1898 “Egger-Lohner electric automobile model C.2 Phaeton,” or simply P1, has been stored in an outbuilding in Austria. (Jan 27)
On Monday, the first automobile created by Porsche was unveiled in Stuttgart, Germany. Since 1902, it has been parked in an aged shed in Austria.
Officially, the vehicle is a C.2 Phaeton, an electric Egger-Lohner automobile from 1898. It is referred to as P1, standing for Ferdinand Porsche’s initial creation.
It is an electric vehicle that Ferdinand Porsche, who established the Porsche sports car company in 1948, invented. Prior to that, as a young man without any engineering training but with engineering potential, he was employed by vehicle manufacturer Jacob Lohner, who asked Porsche to develop an electric drivetrain.
Ferdinand Porsche, then 22 years old, claims it first appeared on the streets of Vienna, Austria, on June 26, 1898. On all the important parts, he inscribed the code “P1,” which stands for Porsche, number one.
According to the automobile firm, P1 was found in a warehouse where it had lain dormant since 1902—the classic example of an auto-desire collector’s coming true.
Ferdinand Porsche’s powerplant, according to the automaker, was a rear-mounted electric drive that only weighed 287 lbs. and produced 3 horsepower. Overdrive mode allows for a short-term output of up to 5 horsepower and a top speed of 21 mph.
In September 1899, a race for electric cars served as the first significant test. Three passengers were required for the 24 miles that the competitors had to go.
According to the history of the automotive firm, Ferdinand Porsche drove the P1 across the finish line 18 minutes ahead of the runner-up. More significantly, P1 was among the racers who finished—less than half of the competitors. The others withdrew due to technical difficulties.
The term “Phaeton” refers to an open car with front and rear seats that was modeled after horse-drawn carriages with a comparable interior. In mythology, the term relates to the son of the god Eos.
The vehicle shows that Porsche’s move toward electrification is not a particularly novel development.
Today’s $100,000 Panamera gas-electric hybrid sedan is one of its faster variants. It drives quicker than electric wires can carry information about its performance in a TV commercial.
Porsche also fields the gas-electric hybrid 918 Spyder race vehicle. The 918 racer can reach speeds of 211 mph, which is ten times faster than P1, and has a combined gas-electric power rating of 887 hp (127 hp maximum from the electric motor) (though only 93 mph on electric power only).
Who built the original electric Porsche?
History. Ferdinand Porsche created his first automobile in 1898 and gave it the name Egger-Lohner electric vehicle, C. 2 Phaeton type, or simply “P1.”
Has Porsche produced an electric vehicle?
Porsche provides plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicles. An electric motor and a battery are installed in electric cars, sometimes referred to as BEVs (Battery Electric Vehicles). The 800 volt system voltage in the Porsche Taycan ensures high continuous power, saves charging time, and lightens weight.
How many Porsches are electric?
The Taycan is the only electric Porsche model available for now, albeit it comes in different variations. It is offered in a variety of sporty coupes and wagons with various performance levels. This German automaker is renowned for its amazing performance capabilities, fun to drive, and responsive handling characteristics. Whether it is in competitive racing or the mass market, there is a Porsche icon in almost every aspect of the automobile business. However, the well-known brand is relatively new to the EV industry. Despite the fact that the Porsche P1, the company’s first automobile, was an electric vehicle.
Which vehicle was the first to use electricity?
The first of those things took place in 1884 when Thomas Parker utilized his own high-capacity rechargeable batteries to construct the first electric production car (shown above) in London. William Morrison introduced a very basic electric vehicle to the USA in 1889–1891 as a result.